No children died in Nandigram : Basu

Kolkata, May 29 (UNI) Discounting the widespread allegation, veteran Marxist leader Jyoti Basu today denied any child death in Nandigram on March 14 and said two women, allegedly raped, were CPI(M) supporters.

" No children were killed on March 14. However, it is true that rape took place. But those two, alleged to be raped, are CPI(M) supporters," he told a Bengali television news channel in an interview.

His comments came in the wake of persistent allegation by the Trinamool Congress and other opposition parties that a large number of villagers, including children, were killed in police firing and attack by "armed CPI(M) cadres" while many women were allegedly raped on that fateful day in a frenzy of settling political vendetta.

The issue spoiled the all-party peace meeting held on May 24 when Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee walked out of it demanding that the CPI(M) must admit that "mass killing and rape" really took place.

While the official figure of death in the March 14 incident stood at 14, Mr Basu said eight of them were killed in police firing while the rest died of wounds caused by bomb blast or shots fired by other people.

"It has to be probed why did police open fire. If they are found guilty, they are certain to be punished. But how can I say that police were responsible before an inquiry is complete," he said.

Stressing that the law and order situation in Nandigram must be maintained, Mr Basu said it was not possible to allow the area remain a "free zone".

Accusing the opposition parties of being insincere in the ongoing peace move for Nandigram, the CPI(M) patriarch had expressed his apprehension on Sunday last that holding another all-party meeting appeared to be difficult.

He had, however, said Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was trying his best to ensure that the peace process was not derailed and all the parties sat together to evolve ways to restore normalcy in the trouble-torn area.

Referring to the demand of the Trinamool Congress and Congress that any all-party meeting must take up for discussion the alleged mass killing and rape in Nandigram, Mr Basu had said the opposition was insisting on this despite knowing that a case on the subject was pending with the court while an Executive Inquiry by a Divisional Commissioner was going on.

UNI